Epilepsy is a relatively common disorder. Most cases of epilepsy can be controlled with a combination of drug therapy and healthy lifestyle. In some cases, surgery may also be advised. Epilepsy affects not only the lifestyle of the patient but also that of their caregiver. Each person reacts to epilepsy in a different way and hence the type of care needed also varies from person to person. While some patients have few seizures and require care only when they're having a seizure others need round the clock care. Here are a few tips to keep in mind if a loved one suffers from epilepsy.

Know what type of epilepsy he/she is dealing with: Not all epileptic seizures are the same. Find out what type of seizures your loved one suffers from and what are the possible triggers associated with Involve yourself in their lifestyle. Epilepsy should not be a reason for your loved one to lock themselves in a room to stay safe. Participate in activities with them of you feel the activity may be a safety risk if they were to have a seizure; for example - swimming.
Notice seizure triggers: Often an epileptic patient may not remember the seizure after it has occurred. As their care giver, keep a seizure diary to track their seizures and its related triggers. Look for patterns in the triggers to their epilepsy attacks.
Keep them safe during a seizure: When experiencing a seizure, the patient will lose consciousness, experience muscle convulsions and may grit his teeth. If the person is standing, hold them so that they do not fall. If they are lying down, try turning them onto their side. Do not put anything into their mouth.
Take care of them after a seizure: After the seizure, people are most likely to be confused, tired and have a headache. Check for injuries and keep them calm till medical help arrives. Loosen clothing around their neck and ensure that there is nothing inhibiting their breathing.
Medical identification: While someone who suffers from seizures often is likely to always have someone with them, others who have rare seizures may often venture out alone. In such cases, ensure that they always have medical identification on them. Also make sure that their friends, colleagues etc are aware of their medical condition.
Help them maintain a healthy lifestyle: Staying active is essential for people with epilepsy. Avoid contact sports and pick low impact exercises like walking, running or swimming. Following a buddy system is essential when an epileptic person works out. If you wish to discuss on any specific problem, you can consult a neurologist and ask a free question.

How to Deal With Epilepsy?

The problem of morning back and neck pain may be due to the position of sleeping or it may be related to inflammatory arthritis which can be familial. Morning back pain is largely related to wrong sleeping posture and less commonly due to arthritic conditions like Ankylosing Spondylitis or Rheumatoid Arthritis. Whatever be the cause- this condition requires attention by an Orthopedic doctor as it may worsen in due course of time and should not be taken lightly. 

Some common factors causing this are: 

Mattress: Too soft or too hard a mattress might induce back ache after sleep. For people with waist and hips of equal proportion, a firmer mattress would do well. For those with narrower waist than their hips, a flexible and softer mattress that can move with the pelvic weight would be a perfect choice. Refrain from using old hardened mattresses. 
Pillow: The pillow you use must be able to render support to your neck naturally. Instead of using excessively firm or soft pillow, try substituting it with memory foam pillows, refillable water pillows or cervical support pillows. 
Posture: Not changing your position while sleeping or sleeping on the belly exerts strain on the back muscles, causing pain. On the other hand, sleeping on the back or on the sides causes comparatively less strain on the spine. 
Other causes such as strenuous workouts or physical activities or sitting at a stretch during the day might cause pain while sleeping or after getting up from bed. 
Remedies for Morning Back Pain: 

Fortunately, there are some home remedies to cure the morning back pain. 

Switching your mattress is a more expensive remedy for back pain, but may often be the ultimate cure. Most people sleep the best on medium-firm mattresses. Be sure to try out the mattress before you buy it. 
For occasional back pain after sleeping, apply heat to your back to relax your muscles before you go to bed and when you get up in the morning. 
Massage your back with pain relieving creams and apply heat on it with a heating pad for quick relief. 
Specific spinal stretching exercises and Planks (a type of exercise) can greatly help in easing back pain, if done on a regular basis. 
It is always recommended to CONSULT an Orthopaedic doctor if you suffer from morning back pain.

Morning Back Pain And Neck Pain

Syphilis is a STD caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. It has several stages, like primary, secondary, latent and tertiary and is common in homosexual men. It should be remembered that Syphilis is curable. It can be treated, if diagnosed in early stage. It can be cured, if medical help is sought for. Sharing toilets, clothes, or utensils doesn t cause this disease. It will vanish forever, if treated at once. However, it can be reinfected if exposed to the bacteria through new syphilis sore. It can also spread, if transmitted by direct touch or contact with Syphilitic sore via anus, skin surface, vagina, mouth and lips. It is very rare though that syphilis can be spread during a kiss.

Syphilis can live within the body for months, even years or decades. Initially, it remains as a painless sore on the genitals like anus, vagina, mouth or skin surface. If present for many years, there is an increased risk of contracting HIV.

Causes
The major causes of syphilis are unsafe sex with homosexual partners and the practice of having unprotected sex like anal, vaginal and oral sex. Individuals who have multiple sexual partners and are specially sexually linked to HIV-infected persons have the highest risk of contracting Syphillis.

It can not only be spread through multiple sexual unsafe intercourses, but also has its high risk in spreading from mother to baby during pregnancy; commonly unknown as congenital syphilis. In such cases, the baby has low birth weight and can develop cataract, deafness or seizures. In some cases, even new born babies die from the disease.

Diagnosis
The doctor will first conduct a physical examination of the patient. Thereafter, blood and urine are collected for bacterial test. If a sore is found on the body, the doctor may collect a sample from the sore to examine the presence of syphilis bacteria. If there are nervous system disorders in the patient, a spinal tap or lumbar puncture is done to collect the spinal fluid. The fluid is then tested for syphilis bacteria.

Treatments for syphilis
Initially, syphilis is treated with penicillin. It has to be kept in mind that long-term exposure to the disease can have life-threatening consequences. Patients suffering from syphilis are either given a single dose or multiple doses of penicillin. The quantum of the dose depends on the nature of symptoms and the infection. Individuals must use condoms to reduce the risk of transmitting the disease while having sexual intercourse. In the case of penicillin allergy, the patient is recommended to have alternative medicines. Infants and newborns born with syphilis undergo antibiotic treatment.

Syphilis - How to Diagnose And Treat It?

Vertigo is that sensation when a person feels that the world is spinning around him. It is a feeling of off balance.

While having a Vertigo, people often complain about feeling dizzy, basic daily activities like walking or moving becomes really intense for them. These episodes can impact everyday life.

Is Vertigo common?

Experiencing Vertigo at least once during a lifetime is quite common. It is often seen in older people, but it can happen to anyone at any age. Women are a little more prone to experience an episode of Vertigo than men.

Types of Vertigo:

There are two major types of Vertigo:

Central Vertigo: Central Vertigo occurs when there is a sudden and temporary malfunction in the brain, precisely in an area called the cerebellum.

Peripheral Vertigo: Peripheral Vertigo occurs due to a problem in areas of vestibular nerve or the inner ear. This area connects the inner ear and the brain. Peripheral Vertigo is the most common type of Vertigo.

According to the American Institute of Balance, Peripheral Vertigo is generally a more serious and dangerous problem compared to Central Vertigo.

Recurrent Spontaneous Vertigo with Head-Shaking Nystagmus:

Recently, researchers discovered a new type of Vertigo called  Recurrent Spontaneous Vertigo with Head-Shaking Nystagmus  or (RSV-HNS).

To diagnose RSV-HNS, the patients need to sit in a room without lights. The examiner changes the position of their heads, first in forward direction, then in side to side direction for about 15 seconds. The camera records the patient s eye motions. It results in those who have RSV-HSN making an eye movement which lasts longer than the others. This movement is known as  nystagmus .

Compared to other types of Vertigo, RSV-HSN shows a more severe sensation of motion sickness. People with RSV-HSN experience things like nausea, headaches, vomiting, and an unwillingness to head motions. These symptoms can be experienced anywhere from a couple of times a week to once a year.

The reason behind RSV-HSN is still unknown. Doctors recommend that proper medication helps to improve the condition.

Treatment for Vertigo:

A major part of the treatment of Vertigo depends on the cause of the Vertigo. Often, Vertigo goes away without any treatment. The reason behind Vertigo curing itself is that people adapting to the inner ear changes and finding different mechanisms to maintain balance.

Why a neurologist is the right choice to consult for vertigo?

The patient of vertigo should not visit an ENT doctor and must consult a good neurologist as basically it's either a problem of brain or of abnormal signals from the vestibular nerve from the ear. In no way it is a problem of ear per se. A neurologist has the training and expertise to deal with it, not an ENT doc. Also, it's important to consult urgently as sometimes it can be a sign of brain stroke (specially if associated with imbalance). Importantly, to rule out brain lesions like cyst, tumor, clots and nerve infections, consulting a neurologist is the best option available.

Apart from this, these are a few treatments:

Medicines: Medication tends to give relief to symptoms like motion sickness associated with Vertigo.

Vestibular Rehabilitation: Under this treatment, doctors try to aim at the patient s vestibular strengths which send the signals to the body movement and head related to  gravity.

Canalith Repositioning Manoeuvres: In this treatment, a physical therapist suggests different head and body movements, which help to release the deposit out of the canal and into an inner ear which can be absorbed by the body. This treatment is quite effective to treat Vertigo.

Surgery: If the reason behind causing Vertigo is some serious internal problem like tumor or a head injury, then, in such circumstances, surgery is highly recommended.

Conclusion:

There are many treatments and medicines available for Vertigo. They are totally dependent upon the cause, symptoms, and condition of the patient. This is why it is important to consult a doctor or specialist for the best treatment option.

Vertigo - Know The Types & Treatment Of Them!

Sit at the dinner table, and you'd find yourself invariably extending your hand to the glass of water on the side of your plate. While you may think it's absolutely necessary to have a glass of water during your meals, the truth is this habit of yours might be damaging your health. Read on to find out how.

1. It dilutes your gastric juices -
When the digestive acids (acids responsible for the digestion and breakdown of food as well as for killing infectious agents ingested with food) present in your stomach are diluted with water, they bring about a slowdown in the functioning of your entire digestive system. This slowdown results in food remaining lodged in your stomach for a longer period than normal, thereby causing indigestion.

Additionally, the reaction caused by the dilution of water and stomach acids can give rise to cramps in your tummy.

2. It reduces the saliva in your mouth -
The same thing that happens to the acids in your stomach, happens to your saliva as well. Water dilutes the saliva, which stops the breakdown of food in your mouth. Also, your saliva is responsible for stimulating your stomach to release digestive enzymes and prepare itself for the process of digestion. By drinking water with your meals, such signals sent by your saliva to your stomach become much weaker. All these together can make digestion very difficult.

3. It causes acidity -
Studies show that drinking water with your meals not only leads to the dilution of digestive enzymes, but also brings about a reduction in the secretion of digestive enzymes. This causes the undigested food in your stomach to leak into the lower part of your oesophagus (food pipe), causing acidity and heart burn. 

4. It increases insulin production -
Sipping on water in the middle of lunch (or any other meal for that matter) causes a spike in your insulin levels just as glycaemic foods (foods with high starch or sugar content such as honey, potatoes, white bread, rice to name a few) would. When your body is unable to digest food properly, it usually tends to convert the glucose filled part of that food into fat and stores it, reason why your blood sugar levels see an upsurge.

5. It adds to your weight -
Since drinking water causes an increase in insulin levels in your body (as the food you eat is converted to fat), it can result in the piling of extra weight on your body. This is because a weak digestive system is one of the major causes behind obesity.

Try having your meals with less salt and drink water 30 minutes before each meal to control your thirst when you're eating. This can help you in controlling the negative effects that drinking water with your meals can have on your health.

Make a wise choice and stay healthy. Feel free to ask me more questions you might have.

Watch What Happens When You Drink Water Along With Your Food. It'll Leave You Thinking!

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders. This condition can affect men and women of all ages. However, it is associated with a number of myths. As a result of these myths, epileptic patients are often discriminated against. Let s bust a few of these myths.

Myth 1: Epilepsy is contagious
Coming in contact with an epileptic patient will not increase your risk of suffering from this condition. Epilepsy can be caused by a number of factors but is not transferable from one person to another. Factors triggering epilepsy include genetic defects, oxygen deprivation at birth, trauma to the head and strokes.

Myth 2: Epilepsy cannot be treated
There is no known cure for epilepsy but this condition can be managed with treatment. Treatment for epilepsy can take many forms. The most common amongst these is medication to reduce and stop seizures. In some cases, brain surgery may also be advised. A special diet can also help control epileptic attacks. Lastly, nerve stimulation may also be used to treat epilepsy.

Myth 3: Epileptic patients cannot lead a normal life
There is nothing stopping an epileptic patient from living a normal life like everyone else. Epilepsy does not affect a person s intelligence or any other ability. It is also a misconception that epileptic women cannot have children or that their children will also have epilepsy. With treatment and a healthy prenatal plan, they can have a healthy pregnancy and give birth to a healthy child. However, certain activities like driving should be avoided by epileptic patients.

Myth 4: A person having an epileptic fit should be restrained
An epileptic seizure will run its course and restraining the person may do more harm than good. Instead, the person should be made to lie down on their side. This will keep saliva from collecting in their mouth. Clear the area around the person and loosen their clothing. If the person wears spectacles, these should be removed. Do not try and put anything into the person s mouth. An epileptic fit usually lasts for up to 5 minutes. If the person does not recover within that time, call a doctor immediately.

Myth 5: Anyone who has a seizure is epileptic
Seizures are not synonymous with epilepsy. They can be triggered by a number of factors including excessive drinking, heat, injury to the head etc. To be diagnosed with epilepsy, a person should have had two or more seizures with unrelated triggers. 

Myths About Seizures - Debunked!

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